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I get the sense that you're concerned you won't be able to keep up with technology trends. This is a non-issue. 95% of what you read on Hacker News is essentially froth, the ephemera of technology. You can ignore it all. The problem is that technology is both your job and your hobby. I had my first son when I was 22 (now 31), and my career has continued to go from strength to strength. There is adequate time in the evenings, or on commutes, to read and ponder, and I find time at work to investigate technologies that will have a positive effect on the business, because that's my job. Since then I've learned three or four new languages, taught myself a whole bunch of crypo-stuff, got down with the Agile crowd, implemented machine learning and search techniques, and become a software architect. I think you'd be surprised at how many employers would rather employ happily married young men with children, because they know that they're less likely to be job hoppers; you might be right that early-stage startups are no longer a viable choice, though, unless you're sure they're going to be around for at least a couple of years. Having said that, I joined my current company six years ago as employee number 5. It was founded by a mid-thirties guy with a wife and kids, who re-mortgaged his house to get the capital he needed. Having children needn't prevent you from doing meaningful and interesting things with your career, you just need to distinguish between what's important, and what's recreational. After a few months, once you and your wife have started to get a handle on this whole parenthood thing, you'll find more time to do the things you love. Of course, you might find that you'd rather spend the time playing with your kids :) |